Celebrate the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Annual Convocation and Service Project

In an annual tradition, Otterbein University will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an inspirational convocation followed by an act of service on Tuesday, Jan. 20. This year’s national theme is, “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.”

This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, featuring keynote speaker N. Malik Crosswhite, will be held at 3 p.m. on Jan. 20 in Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St., Westerville. The recipients of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace and Justice Awards will be announced at the convocation. 

Crosswhite is a community advocate and campus pastor with a deep commitment to human dignity, empathy, social responsibility, and courageous truth-telling. His perspective on the national theme, “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way,” is informed by these commitments, as well as his academic studies and lived experiences. 

Inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Crosswhite understands his vocation as speaking truth to power, cultivating community transformation, and working toward a more just and humane world for all. He serves as a campus pastor with the historic Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, a role that has strengthened his commitment to empathy, justice, and inclusive community care. His ministry and advocacy are further informed by his completion of a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education, through which he developed a disciplined, compassionate presence at the intersection of faith, trauma, and institutional systems. 

He also serves as an interim/relief pool chaplain at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, providing spiritual and emotional care across University Hospital, OSU East Hospital, and the James Cancer Center. These experiences have shaped his conviction that justice is a lived practice expressed through care, advocacy, and courageous truth-telling. 

Crosswhite holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial systems from The Ohio State University and is pursuing a master of divinity degree at Trinity Lutheran Theological Seminary, where his academic formation bridges systems thinking, ethics, and public theology.

After the Convocation, members of the Otterbein community and the public are invited to participate in annual MLK Day Service Event from 5-7 p.m. at the Campus Center, 100 W. Home St., Westerville. 

Volunteers can sign-up for to help with a variety of tasks (e.g., packing food, assembling snack bags, cutting plarn, or making fleece blankets, etc.) by registering here: MLK Service Day Registration. Send questions to Micia Clemmons at mlclemmons@otterbein.edu.